Image spanned by its eigenvectos

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on whether the image of a 2x2 matrix W, specifically W = [[1, 1], [0, 1]], is spanned by its eigenvectors. It is established that the eigenvectors of W form a linearly independent set, but they do not span the entire image of W. The image of W is R², while the eigenvectors only represent a subspace, confirming that the image is not spanned by the eigenvectors.

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yanky
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Here's the question I'm stuck at:
Suppose a mapping from R^2 -> R^2 is defined by some 2x2 matrix W. Is the image of W spanned by the eigenvectors of W? Why or why not?

The Attempt at a Solution


I know that the eigenvectos of W for a linearly independent set. I also know that the set spanning W will consist of the smallest subspace of W consisting of linear combinations of all vectors in W. But I'm confused about what the eigenvectors actually are. I'm assuming that the answer is "yes", but I don't know why.
 
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Suppose
W= \begin{bmatrix}1 & 1 \\ 0 & 1\end{bmatrix}
Then all eigenvectors or W are multiples of
\begin{bmatrix}0 \\ 1\end{bmatrix}
but the image of W is all or R2.
 

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